Shocking footage has surfaced of a mischief of 'huge' rats spotted scurrying around on a residential street next to a tenement block in the east end of Glasgow.
The video was taken by a member of the public on Ravel Row in the Parkhead area, yards from the busy Westmuir Street near to the Forge Shopping Centre.
It shows the rats emerging from a fenced off area on the street among a huge pile of discarded beer cans, food containers, bin bags and other rubbish next to a container.
Colin Harkins, who took the video, told Glasgow Live that he contacted the council last week about it but that the rubbish is still amassing. He also said that he spoke to a tenant who lives in the tenement block nearby who was unaware of the rats.
The footage comes after we revealed how there is now an estimated 1.3m rats in Glasgow as plentiful food waste and quiet urban streets during lockdown helped boost their numbers.
UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk, who made the estimate, reported that the numbers of rat infestations they have been called to deal with in 2020 has been 25% larger than 2019.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “Unfortunately we are encountering recurring issues on Ravel Row.The best way to prevent a pest problem is to ensure that waste is disposed of appropriately at all times.
“The scene captured in the picture published by Glasgow Live does not show waste being disposed of in an appropriate manner.Rubbish should be put in a bin and so it is absolutely unacceptable to dump to waste in the street.
“Our pest control service is intended for domestic premises and we will respond to calls from householders.However, where an issue may arise on commercial premises our public health team can engage with the owners and look at what action can be taken.”
